1. Field of the Invention
The instant invention relates to mixing and reactor equipment. More specifically the invention is directed to equipment for mixing and reacting one or more fluids. The invention finds application in single as well as multi-phase environments.
2. State of the Art
Many fluid processes benefit from efficient mixing. Nearly all conventional art mixing equipment, such as blenders, impellers, static mixers, and impinging devices, scale and intermingle the fluids to be mixed while the fluids are in actual contact with one another. This approach can result in the creation of a variety of inhomogenieties within the body of the fluid mixture. Such inhomogenieties may be harmful to the process of mixing and/or the reactions occurring within the body of the fluid. For example, large scale concentration or temperature inhomogenieties may be produced within the body of the fluid mixture by the use of conventional mixing equipment.
Additionally, conventional mixing equipment generally relies upon forcing large scale turbulence upon the fluid mixture. Turbulence, in turn, may lead to the formation of eddies within the fluid body which, in many instances, may be as large as the reaction vessel itself. The presence of eddies within the fluid body may hamper the proper mixing of the fluid and further may disrupt the extent of the reactions occurring within the fluid.
Historically, slight attention has been paid in the art to the use of engineered fractal mixing as a means of processing fluids. U.S. Pat. No. 5,938,333 is one of the few examples of technical efforts in this area. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,938,333 a space filling device, which can be used for low turbulence fluid mixing in a volume, is disclosed. This device can accomplish volume mixing with very little turbulence and with a high level of homogeneity. Unfortunately, because the device of U.S. Pat. No. 5,938,333 is a space filling mixer, it is not always an appropriate processing device for a given processing requirement.
Another recent patent which describes the use of fractals to distribute or collect fluids is U.S. Pat. No. 5,354,460 which discloses a fractal fluid distribution system. PCT/US99/06245 is directed to a fractal fluid transporting device. Neither of these references disclose employing offset fractals to simultaneously and independently scale and intermingle separate fluids for mixing and/or reaction.